Drug defendant sent to prison for bringing fake urine to appointment

A former Norwalk resident found with synthetic urine during an Erie County drug screen was sentenced Wednesday to 16 months in prison.

Eugene F. Wilson Jr., 24, will serve the local term consecutive to the four years in prison he's serving for Erie County. He was convicted of three counts of trafficking in drugs plus one charge each of complicity to possession of drugs and attempted tampering with evidence. Wilson has been in custody at the Lorain Correctional Institution since Feb. 12.

Wilson appeared in Huron County Common Pleas Court for a series of probation violations Wednesday. He admitted to the offenses and received a sentence that was joint recommendation between the state and Huron County Public Defender David Longo.

"He'd like to resolve the case today," Longo said.

Wilson admitted to three allegations that happened Dec. 4: Being found with synthetic urine to change a drug screen at the Erie County Adult Probation Department, admitting to using heroin and marijuana and not following the verbal order of a probation officer to remain in the building. Wilson was being supervised in Erie County because he was living with his mother.

"He wanted to say good-bye to his mother because he knew he was going away for a while," the officer added.

Wilson also admitted to failing to make any payments since Sept. 5, 2012. He was placed on three years of probation at the time for one count each of trafficking in heroin and possession of heroin. The judge ordered Wilson to pay $40 in restitution to the Huron County Sheriff's Office to cover the cost of drug testing and forfeit the $1,648 found on his possession when he was arrested as deputies used a search warrant Feb. 8, 2012. He also was fined $500.

Deputies used the warrant after they arranged a controlled drug purchase. They found Wilson with 41 balloons of heroin, which weighed slightly more than 2 grams.

He later successfully completed a four- to six-month program in a community-based corrections facility, a form of prison which focuses on substance abuse treatment and education.

"For the first two months (after his release), he seemed to be doing well," Chandler said, but then Wilson tested positive for a drug in August.